a. [ Compar. Fewer superl. Fewest. ] [ OE. fewe, feawe, AS. feá, pl. feáwe; akin to OS. fāh, OHG. fō fao, Icel. fār, Sw. få, pl., Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. pay^ros. Cf. Paucity. ] Not many; small, limited, or confined in number; -- indicating a small portion of units or individuals constituting a whole; often, by ellipsis of a noun, a few people. “Are not my days few?” Job x. 20. [ 1913 Webster ]
Few know and fewer care. Proverb. [ 1913 Webster ]
☞ Few is often used partitively; as, few of them. [ 1913 Webster ]
A few, a small number. --
In few, in a few words; briefly. Shak. --
No few, not few; more than a few; many. Cowper. --
The few, the minority; -- opposed to the many or the majority. [ 1913 Webster ]